David Edward Springer

A native of Anniston, Alabama, David was born on June 30, 1953, to Theresa G. Springer and the late Dr. Donald A. Springer. He graduated from Anniston High School in 1971 and attended Duke University, graduating magna cum laude in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in history and politics. While at Duke, he met his future wife, Patricia (Patty) Cole, with whom he shared a love of history and an intense devotion to Blue Devil basketball that continued throughout their life together.

David moved to Washington to attend the Washington College of Law at The American University, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1979. He and Patty were married in late 1978 and made Washington their permanent home. While in law school, he began a career in politics and legislation, working for various Committees and Members of Congress, including Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH), Representative Bill Richardson (D-NM), and Representative Thomas J. Manton (D-NY), to whom David served as Chief of Staff and close advisor.

David left Capitol Hill in the early 1990’s for private law practice and was a partner at several firms over time, including McAuliffe, Kelly and Raffaelli and O’Connor & Hannan LLP. He became the first American to represent the government of India in Washington, kindling a passion for the people and culture of India that shaped his work for the rest of his career. David was instrumental in forming the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans and arranged for then-Prime Minister Rao’s address to a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress.

Over the next 30 years, David made more than 100 trips to India, developing long-lasting relationships with political figures, business leaders, and scientific researchers. He established himself as a policy advisor and entrepreneur focused primarily on India, but including other South Asian markets. He facilitated connections and transactions for companies and research institutions in the U.S. and India on a wide range of matters, including drug discovery, real estate, energy, information technology, and biotechnology.

Throughout his life, David maintained his ties to Anniston. As a lawyer, he worked with the County Commission in the early 2000’s to secure federal funds to protect the county’s population as the Army began incinerating nerve agent at the Chemical Agent Disposal Facility. He returned to Anniston many times over the years to visit his family and friends and took great pleasure in reconnecting with old high school friends during the last years of his life.

David had a diverse range of interests that spanned collecting art and first-edition books to gardening. But his central passion was collecting and enjoying fine wines, building a carefully curated cellar. A long-time member of the Metropolitan Club in Washington, he most enjoyed his time as a member of the Club’s wine committee. He also was a member of Washington Golf and Country Club in Arlington, VA, where he was an avid golfer.

A student of family history, David was a member of the Virginia chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati and the Sons of Colonial Wars Society. During his last years, he worked to trace the Springer family back to present-day Ukraine, connecting their story to the broader experience of Eastern European Jews in the South.

In addition to Patricia Cole, his wife of 46 years, David is survived by two sons, Agee Goodwyn Springer and wife BriAnna Tudor Springer, of Austin, Texas, and Chapman Lawrimore Cole Springer of Washington, DC; grandsons Samuel Aaron Springer and Robert Cole Springer of Austin; his mother, Theresa Springer of Anniston; his siblings, Donald Goodwyn Springer of Anniston and Barbara Springer Schuler of Birmingham, Alabama; and many nieces and nephews as well as grandnieces and nephews.

David’s life will be celebrated at a service on Friday, September 19, at 1:00 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, in Washington, DC. The service will be livestreamed from the St. John’s website (Livestream services at St. John’s, Lafayette Square). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in his name to the following charities:

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital (Charitable Giving)

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, DC (Giving to St. John’s, Lafayette Square)

SOS Children’s Villages India (SOS Children Villages of India | Best Child Care NGO in India)